On November 13, 1942 departed Shortland and steamed down "The Slot" bound for Guadalcanal. Although scheduled to arrive during the night of November 13, 1942, the convoy was recalled to Shortland, due to the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.

During the afternoon of November 13, 1942 the convoy again departed Shortland again bound for Guadalcanal. Spotted by American aircraft, air attacks began hitting the convoy during the morning of November 14, and overwhelmed the escorting Japanese aircraft and sank six transports and forced one to turn back damaged, and later sank.

The remaining four transports and four destroyers continued to Guadalcanal. After nightfall, they stopped to the west of Guadalcanal, awaiting the conclusion of the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal.

Beginning at 5:55am, American aircraft from Henderson Field and elsewhere plus field artillery bombarded the ships. Later, destroyer USS Meade approached and opened fire for an hour with 5" shells, leaving them "blazing with many internal explosions."

These attacks set all four transports afire and destroyed most equipment not unloaded before dawn. Most of their ammunition and food supplies were lost. Approximately 2,000 troops with 260 cases of ammunition and 1,500 bags of rice made ashore.

Shipwreck Hirokawa Maru was sunk off Bonegi to the east of Kinugawa Maru. Locally known as "Bonegi 1", "Bonegi No. 1" or "Bonegi One". The shipwreck rests with her mangled bow in shallow water with her
amidships section is fairly intact. Her stern at 180' / 55m is covered with
gun cartridges and deteriorated.

Well
broken up by enemy bombing, she is now covered in soft and hard
coral growth. A deck gun is still recognizable. Penetration
of this wreck is not advised because deterioration leaves the wreckage unstable.

Jeff
Johnson adds:"There's a lot of spent cartridges
and broken glass about, but it looks as though the wreck was
picked clean long ago by souvenir hunters. Today, it has badly
deteriorated."